Charleston summers; hotter or colder than Wash DC's?

[vec101]

Ave July high temp for Chas 73.9 - I've lived here for 21 years and find that hard to believe!
May be the whole airport on a hill thing that is the "official" temp cuz that sure is not the ave temp at my house for 20 years of July in Chas.

I checked the temp today about 2pm and it was 81 at my house. The air was very comfy though and it was wonderful outside.

[NOVAmtneer82]

I also found that somewhat difficult to believe, maybe it was the daily average temperature when factoring in high and low temps? I would think average highs were at least in the mid 80s.

[snorpus]

My mistake.

The table is titled "Daily Mean Temperature", and I just imagined the word High was in there somewhere.

By the way, the year around average temperatures are:
DC-Dulles 54.2
DC-National 57.5
Charleston 54.5
Huntington 55.0
Beckley 51.6
Elkins 49.8

These are 30 year averages... I wonder if Dulles has gotten closer to National over the last 30 years, as the DC Metro area builds westward?

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by snorpus

My mistake.

The table is titled "Daily Mean Temperature", and I just imagined the word High was in there somewhere.

By the way, the year around average temperatures are:
DC-Dulles 54.2
DC-National 57.5
Charleston 54.5
Huntington 55.0
Beckley 51.6
Elkins 49.8

These are 30 year averages... I wonder if Dulles has gotten closer to National over the last 30 years, as the DC Metro area builds westward?

I definitely remember Dulles being noticeably colder in the winter than DC metro---------OTOH: Springfield, Va. was a tad warmer.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by snorpus

My mistake.

The table is titled "Daily Mean Temperature", and I just imagined the word High was in there somewhere.

By the way, the year around average temperatures are:
DC-Dulles 54.2
DC-National 57.5
Charleston 54.5
Huntington 55.0
Beckley 51.6
Elkins 49.8

These are 30 year averages... I wonder if Dulles has gotten closer to National over the last 30 years, as the DC Metro area builds westward?

Oh absolutely. The Dulles area has undergone insane growth in the past 10 years with all of the tech and federal contracting companies setting up shop. The airport is literally in the middle of suburbia now.

[r601020]

I just remembered why I was living in Arizona.

A bit off-topic, but under the umbrella of summer weather, I don't know what to normally expect from tropical storm activity in WV. How much of barrier does the eastern continental divide provide? What could I expect in a worst case scenario of a full-blown hurricane? Where's the best mountain to watch hurricanes approach?

TROPICAL STORM FAY - Combined Track Plot

SSEC - Geostationary Satellite Images

Charleston area only gets a tornado about once every 10 years, so why is there a town named "Tornado" in the Charleston/Huntington area? Why is there a town named "Hurricane" in the Charleston/Huntington area?

[snorpus]

Tornado is so named because, back in 1880, the USPO closed the Post Office for Upper Falls of Coal (River), the original name. The residents raised a ruckus ("a whirlwind of protest") and got the post office reopened in 1881, but the PO retaliated by calling it Tornado. Wikipedia

Hurricane is named after Hurricane Creek, which was so named because some surveyors commissioned by George Washington noted a clump of trees all bent in the same direction, as if struck by a hurricane. Wikipedia

Occasionally, the remnants of a hurricane will move up the Appalachians or the Blue Ridge and dump lots of rain in West Virginia. I remember Agnes in 1972, and another one in 1996 or '97. I don't recall any that have still been of hurricane strength when they've reached WV, although the heavy rains have caused plenty of problems.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by mtneeratheart

Oh absolutely. The Dulles area has undergone insane growth in the past 10 years with all of the tech and federal contracting companies setting up shop. The airport is literally in the middle of suburbia now.

When I flew out of Dulles 30 years ago this month-----------it was still essentially in 'no man's land'. Heck: I-66 ended at the Beltway (heading towards DC) and did not start again till Arlington within a stone's throw of Key Bridge.

[upperfalls]

Here is a page with links to the best weather sites for the Charleston area:

Upper Falls, West Virginia weather. Upper Falls, WV.